You have probably heard repeatedly throughout the course of your life that “attitude is everything”, “your attitude is your choice”, or some other cliched variation of this concept. Today’s post will delve into the concept of the attitude choices we make on a daily basis and how that develops our overall worldview and approach to how we live life.
Henry Ford is famous for many things but one of my favorite quotes of his is: “If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re probably right.” This sentence has resonated with me since my college football coach repeated it over and over when I was a player. As a coach myself, I do not make this statement as regularly as my coach, but I do believe it has great merit and can develop a mental approach to living a life of confidence and positivity.
I speak with our players on a regular basis about attitude choices. Here is a list of simple phrase adjustments that can make all the difference in the attitude we take into the day or a situation:
“I have to get out of bed this morning” OR “I am going to get out of bed and get started having a great day”.
“I have to get up early and go to conditioning, then to class, and then lift after all that” OR “I have a great opportunity to make myself better today with team conditioning, 3 classes, and then a lift with my partner”.
“I am really dreading this presentation I have coming up because I hate speaking in front of people” OR “I am nervous about a presentation for one of my classes, but I have prepared well and am looking forward to improving my public speaking skills”.
As you begin this process, you will be amazed at how regularly you talk to yourself negatively about past and future events, conversations you must have, presentations your are going to make, your ability to lift a weight, make a sale, get a date, and a laundry list of other things. I tell the players I coach on a regular basis to evaluate their attitudes and make the choice to have a great one. We only get the opportunity to live this life one time and I believe our attitudes are directly linked to how much we enjoy our time on earth. If you talk to yourself positively and make positive attitude choices, you will love your life because you will have made the choice to do so!